How to Take Care of Your Sod

Now that you have your new lawn in place, it’s time for you to enjoy it. Still, to keep it in shape and not to make it a useless investment, you have to take care of it. Here are some practical pieces of advice:

Keep new sod very wet for 10 days to 2 weeks. Keep an eye on the weather and adjust to establish a responsible, efficient watering schedule, checking the water coverage and adjusting the sprinklers. If it’s windy or the weather is hot, water the lawn by hand to help the smoky gray areas that may arise.

After the first week, start stretching out the time between watering so that the roots will grow downward toward the soil moisture. If your sod becomes lighter in color, that means that it needs more water.

Pay extra attention not to ever let your lawn turn yellow. If it gets to this point then you may have to re-sod the yellow area by cutting it out with a flat edged shovel and replacing it with a new patch of sod after you cut it to fit the hole.

For the first 3 weeks, don’t mow the lawn. Keep grass height high for the first few cuttings. Let it reach around 3-4 inches before mowing, take 0.75 inches off the top, wait a few days, and do it again, unless otherwise specified.

Mow when grass blades are dry, then water the grass and make sure you set your mower to the needed height. After one month to one and a half months, your new lawn should be ready for you to start mowing so as to shape its look and control weeds.

Fertilize lightly after the second mowing with a seasonal fertilizer. Apply fertilizer in intervals through the growing season. Follow soil test recommendations when possible, or use the rates associated with the particular area. Fertilize only for greener color and to fill in where grass is damaged.